Gates denies setting 'exit strategy' for Afghanistan
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates denied yesterday that President Barack Obama had set an "exit strategy" for Afghanistan, and he forecast that only a "handful" of U.S. troops might leave the country in July 2011, when a withdrawal is scheduled to begin.
Gates, appearing on TV news programs with other senior U.S. officials, said the Obama administration intended to maintain its commitment to Afghanistan while gradually shifting security responsibilities to the country's central government. "This is a transition," Gates said on ABC's "This Week." "We are not talking about an abrupt withdrawal. We are talking about something that will take place over a period of time."
Obama announced last week he soon would send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, but some would start to return home in 18 months.
His decision to set July 2011 as the point when U.S. troops will begin to depart has proved the most difficult element to explain to domestic audiences and allied governments.
Gates said U.S. troops first would be withdrawn from areas where the Taliban poses less of a threat. He said U.S. military commanders had reason for optimism that a minimum 18-month surge would work, because they have seen progress in the south where U.S. forces have been added.
- Los Angeles Times
